Factual Television - 12 Sub Genres

Docu Drama

A Docu Drama is either a film or television show that is dramatised off of events based on facts, this is typically not a re-enactment. A Docu Drama will usually focus on a exact event and the facts found from the event, sometimes it does not fully follow the facts as some of the characters there to further the story and add more drama. A docu drama will also typically use archive footage in order to be able to show the facts is a clearer way whilst using footage of interviews to show the people it affected when the event occurred and the families of lost loved ones.

Examples of this would be:

The Men who built America

The Men who built American is about five men in American History who introduced different industrial ideas to the world, the series focuses on Henry Ford who was the founder of the Ford Motor Company, Cornelius Vanderbilt who built railroads and known for shipping, John D. Rockefeller who was the co - founder of of the Standard Oil Company, Andrew Carnegie who led the expansion of the steel industry and J. P. Morgan. A convention used within this Docu Drama they use different archive footage, this is seen at 5:35 when an image of trade ships, this is then followed by an image of the ships closer up. After the shots of the trading they show you actual footage of the trading, this impacts the audience as it allows them to be able to experience what actually happened and how they would have to make trades with other places. Another convention used is a voice over in the beginning of the the episode which gives you details about the time period  of which the series is based around allowing the audience to have a better understanding of the time era and what the correct history of America. This impacts the audience as they are able to gather facts about not only the time period but also the effect the men had on America, this also allows the audience to see what is happening whilst its being told to them in detail. Another convention used would be the use of experts and interviews as seen at 28:50 we see Ron Perelman talking about the men of the time, he is also a business magnate which is what Cornelius Vanderbilt was showing that he is an expert in that certain field showing that his opinions of the men who built America could be judged based upon their status. This is continued at 30:50 when you see a business man also speak, this shows the audience that the people that they have interviewed in the series allows the audience to see that they are experts in the field of business.

Captain Phillips 

Captain Phillips is based on a true story of the Maersk Alabama hijacking in 2009 when a merchant mariner named Captain Richard Phillips is taken hostage by Aabduwali Muse a pirate in the Indian Ocean. The film follows Captain Phillips who tries to escape from the pirates that are keeping him hostage whilst trying to not be killed as he is waiting for help from  the Navy Seals.

Nuclear Secrets

Nuclear secrets are about the Nuclear weapons that are still out there and the dangers, in the first episode they show that their is someone in Russia who has been sending information and secrets to the US Government, however Washington does not respond. The episode carries on following Officer Oleg Penkovsky who is trying to get to get a letter to Britain which claims that Moscow were planning an all out nuclear attack. A convention used would be Archive footage at 3:15 showing the audience what was happening during the time that the nuclear attacks were planning to happen, this allows the audience to be able to feel the real effects of the nuclear damage.

Docu Soap

A docu soap is a television documentary series in which the lives of the people filmed are presented as entertainment or drama, they usually include cliff hangers to keep the audience interested, drama and often have multiple story lines.  

Examples of this would be:

Eddie Stobart : Tracks and Trailers

Eddie Stobart : Trucks and Trailers follows the day to day activities of the group of people who work for Eddie Stobart, the series follows the lorry drivers as they have to reach certain destinations at certain times or their deliveries will not be taken and they will have to return them back to where they had originally picked them up from. A convention used throughout the episode is interviews as you constantly see them talking to the drivers, this allows the audience to better relate to the people driving the lorries but also allows them to be able to feel the emotions that they feel by having to meet deadlines, this is seen when he says that it is a 'nightmare' to get through London. Another convention would be a voice over as it is common throughout the episode so that it keeps the audience informed as to what is happening, what the delivery is, who the person is that is driving the truck and what they have been doing since we last saw a clip of the. This is heard at 3:40 when the voice over says "It's 11 am and Mo's been on the road for 8 hours..." this shows that they not only spend most of the day travelling to get the products that they deliver but they also have to travel the long distance to the final location. This allows the audience to be able to feel the emotions that they feel and to feel sympathy for the drivers as you feel bad for them as you do not know if they will be able to make it to the end destination which makes the audience feel tense. Another convention used would be the use of suspense as you never know what could be the end outcome for the drivers as they skip between two or three different drivers throughout one episode so they keep the audience on edge as they want to see what happens next.

Border Security

Border security is a show based in Australia, it shows the work ethic of the officers of Australian Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship as they have to enforce Australian customs, quarantine, immigration and finance laws. Border security officers make sure that people trying to enter the country do not try and bring anything illegal into the country that could harm people, they often send many passengers home when they find them in possession of drugs or unidentified items. 

Airline

Airline shows the audience the experiences some customers face when they are trying too go on holiday, the show also focuses on the people who work at the airport and work for the certain airline that they are talking about within the episode of the series, typically this is about Easy Jet. Each episode usually features annoyed passengers that have either had their flight cancelled, missed their flights, come a day early or just annoyed with the people who work at the airport because of a delay.

Infotainment

Infotainment is an information based programme that also includes entertainment content in an effort to enhance popularity with audiences and consumers. Sometimes they are accused of dumbing down the content which would make the audience feel as though they are being patronised, they also cross the lone between journalism and entertainment.

Examples of this would be:

The View

The View is a talk show that has five women who discuss current issues and news items ranging from social and political issues to tabloid headlines and celebrity news, the show often features guest stars who will we interviewed over current issues in their lives. A convention used in this is interviews as you they all ask one another questions for example at the beginning they ask what they are enjoying so far about being in Disney land, at the beginning of the show they interview Demi Lovato about her being a Disney star. The impact that this would have on the audience would be that it allows them to see what she is like as a person but to also to here about how she made it in the industry. Another convention would be the camera work as it it moves so that it can capture what each person is saying but then the camera also moves around to capture the others reactions to what is said, an example of this would be at 2:57 when she is discussing that she is afraid of heights the shot is a close up, then it moves to a close up of another host to see their reaction. 

The Moaning Life

The Moaning Life follows Karl Pilkington around the world as he visits different cultures, however unlike An Idiot Abroad he has chosen to go to all the different places so that he can see how they face up to some of life's biggest issues with their cultures and their customs. As he goes on his journey he also reassess his life and choices that he has made especially now that he believes that he is middle aged being 40.

Top Gear 

Top gear is a show that checks out different cars and delivers the information back to the audience so it gives them an idea so that the audience can see what cars are good and what are not of the good quality. The show revolves around three men Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond who test out the cars in different humorous ways for example they have driven trucks into different walls one did a brick wall another did a wall of water bottles which makes the show more suspenseful and engaging.

Reality TV

Reality TV that shows unscripted situations and actual occurrences, it is often melodramatic, and humorous and it usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situations where there could be a prize awarded. The show is usually high structured and edited.

Examples of this would be:

Cake Boss

   

Cake Boss is based around a family who owns a bakery, the show focuses on the intricate cakes that they have made and the relationships between the family members and the staff that works for them. A convention used would be that the fast paced camera movements show that the occasion is serious, this is seen when Buddy is talking to the customers the camera jumps between them as soon as they speak to show the high anticipated exemptions of the bride and groom and also Buddy's to show that he is excited to make the cake for them. This allows the audience to be able to see the realism in the expressions and to also feel the emotions they are feeling. Another convention would be interviews as the episode goes by there are certain segments that show the family member talking about what has been happening in the episode. This shows the audience how the family feels about one another when they are stressed and are getting on one another's nerves which the audience may be able to relate to as they may argue with their family when they are stressed.

Ace of Cakes

Ace of cakes is focused on a custom cake shop, it highlights how the team of custom cake makers can make the cakes with short deadlines but also make them look really good. Through the episode you are shown them working long hours of the day especially if they have cakes that need to be done for the next day, they are also known for making cakes that you would not typically see in stores that would take hours upon hours to make and decorate.

Celebrity Big Brother

Celebrity Big Brother and Big Brother is a reality show that throws a group of people who do not know one another well and puts them into a house for 3 three weeks, they are usually given tasks that they have to complete in order to win treats or nice meals for the whole group of people so that are not just sitting there for the whole day doing nothing. They also compete to see who can win to be the final person in the house, winning a cash prize.

Educational Television

Education Television is a programme that's main purpose is to educate the audience , this may be a part of a taught programme of distance study such as the Open University or they may be a part of a broadcaster. Many children's programmes are educational, ranging from dedicated learning programmes to those that indirectly teach the viewers.

Examples would be:

Dora the Explorer

Dora the Explorer is an educational programme for children as it teaches different things during the show for example it makes the child think about simple math equations. A convention used would be music as the music in the background is very upbeat and lively which will keep the children wanting to watch the show, this is because it encourages them to carry on and not give up which would be good for little children as they like to give up after they try. This allows the younger audience to be able to relate to what is going on because they could count along with Dora. Another convention would be the voice over as seen at 1:00 Dora's voice is heard in the background which would encourage the younger audience to keep looking so that they keep watching this means that when Dora counts they will also be counting at home, they also know when they have gotten it wrong when she says 'oh no' and then says to try again. This allows the audience to relate back to the characters.

Sesame Street

Sesame street  was the one of the first children's television show that included educational goals and a curriculum to shape its content, it was also one of the first shows that was studied for the educational effects on children. Sesame tried to install skills and basic educational skills which was valuable to teach children what to think and what to do, they did this by doing things that they knew that children would imitate the actions so this would mean that the pick up things quicker.

Watch Mr. Wizard

Watch Mr. Wizard demonstrated the science behind ordinary things, during the show children would join him to figure out the science behind things, Mister Wizard would always have a experiment going that would teach the audience about science which at the beginning would look as though they would be impossible to do.

 Wildlife Documentary

A Wildlife Documentary is a natural history film or wildlife film about animals, plants, or other non human living creatures. Such programmes are mostly made for the television especially for the public broadcasting channels. This is usually filmed in the species natural habitat and has lots of information making it educational to everyone who watches it.

Examples would be:

Natural World

Natural World is based on different animals and in every episode they discuss something different, for example this episode is based around the parents bringing up their children this one episode is specifically about chimpanzee's and lions. A convention used in this series would be a strong and interesting premise as this episode is about  bringing up babies however this would only be fully featured in this episode as they would speak about different topics in different episodes so that the audience stays fully interested and engaged in the episode. Another convention would be that through out the episode their is a voice over telling you exactly what is happening and why that is happening showing the audience that they use an expert or someone who knows the topic to tell you the acts so that you can clearly understand what is happening, this also allows the audience to better understand why animals react a certain way to specific actions.

March of the Penguins

March of the Penguins is a nature documentary film which shows the yearly journey of the Emperor Penguin of Antarctica, at the age of 5 the penguin is required to leave its natural habitat of the water to walk to the breeding grounds. Hopefully they can court another penguin and hatch a chick and in order for the chick to survive the parents must travel between the breeding grounds and the ocean for months.  

Winged Migration

Winged Migration is where birds fly South during a certain season, this was filmed over four years using in flight cameras, hot air balloons aswell as motorcycles, trucks and motorboats in order for them to be able to fully film what the birds do when they migrate and to get a different range of shots to fully capture everything that they are doing.

Special Interest Documentary

A special interest documentary is where you make a documentary out of a very traditional idea which has a very niche incidence, they typically only focus one story per episode or could even be a stand alone documentary, The documentary will also not be broadcasted  on a mainstream channel and only applies to a specific audience.

Examples would be:

10 Things you didn't know...

10 Things you didn't know about is a series that presents 10 facts about a specific topic for example it could be about a historical figure, group or an event that is not really spoken about in the general public. A convention used would be the sounds as at the beginning at 0:17 you hear sounds as if a volcanoe is in the background creating realism and making the topic more tense and exciting. This impacts the audience as it makes them want to see more but it also keeps them engaged as it allows them to be able to get a feel of what it would have sounded like. Another convention would be the use of voice overs as the shot is of him walking towards the volcanoe and the voice over is telling us why he likes volcanoes, this would impact the incidence as they would want to hear as to why he likes volcanoes and why he is so interested to go and get close and personal with one.

A History of Britain

A history of Britain is a study of the British Isles that told different stories of different time eras but still to do with British History, for example he talks about the Anglo-Saxons, Norman conquests, Mary Queen of Scots and wars, this shows that though its for a niche audience it will still be able to relate back to all the people who are interested in the history of Britain. 

Japanese High Speed Bullet Train

The Japanese High Speed bullet train is about the fastest train in Japan, and the people behind the mastermind of making the train.

Make Over Show

A Make over show is a development of the reality TV Genre, in which a member of the public's life is transformed for the better, this usually involves their physical appearance but may also involve an issue in their life which caused it.

Examples would be:

60 Minute Make Over

60 Minute Make Over is where there is a celebrity host who helps a family fix a certain room or rooms in another family members house as a surprise treat for something they had previously done for them.

DIY SOS

DIY SOS is where a group of builder and designers help somebody who has been let down by previous builders and help them with certain rooms of the house and have them fixed up within 1 or 2 weeks.

Supersize vs Superskinny

Supersize vs Skinny looks at helping people who are overweight and people who are borderline anorexic, and goes about helping them find a healthy eating plan so that they can live a better life. A convention used would be a that their is a presenter/host who not only explains to the audience what is happening by is also telling the participants the consequences of their unhealthy eating habits. This impacts the audience in a way that makes them feel sympathy for both parties but at the same time makes them realise that they should start treating their own bodies well otherwise these problems could happen to them if they do not take the right care of them. Another convention would be the amount of close ups used to emphasis the issues that have occurred for example at the beginning of the episode the overly show that they have a big stomach and the other person is very skinny however at the end they are shown with more close ups to show the change that has occurred by looking after themselves. This impacts the audience as it shows them that they can make a chant if they really try to.

Discussion

Discussion is a studio panel show, in which experts discuss issues on a specific topic/theme. May or may not include a live studio audience. 

Examples would be:

Free Speech

Free speech is a live debate and discussion show on BBC Three where viewers can talk about the biggest issues that are currently on big trend, for example they spoke about issues around young parenthood and families.

  

Crossfire

Crossfire is a current events debate television programme, it challenged the opinions of political statements, they also had two different sides of the debate so that not only did the the audience debate but so did the hosts.

Loose Women

Loose women talks about all the current news on their show, they also have celebrity guests who give their opinion on the news and are there to discuss upcoming ventures that they are taking part in. A convention used would be interviews as when their guests arrive they interview them about they have been getting up to and any upcoming ventures, this would impact the audience as they are hearing first hand what they are doing so this benefits their fans. Another convention would be presenter as they are the ones who are informing the audience of what is happening in the current news and they are asking the audience to get involved by tweeting their opinions of the topics that are being discussed which allows the audience to feel as though they are involved.

Review Show

A review show is when a television programmes sole purpose is to test out items and then give feedback on the item within a certain theme, this often involves the main presenter testing out gadgets and equipment that the public would be interested in.

Examples would be:

Will it Blend?

Will it Blend? puts products through the test by putting it into a blender and seeing if they can blend the product into pieces. The products used are products that would be typically used by the audience for example once he blended Iphones.

Gadget Man

Gadget Man is a show where the Gadget man tests and tries products whilst giving his own opinion of the product that he is testing, he also tries different products so he will do an episode for products for the outside and ones to use inside.

Gadget show

Gadget show takes all the latest products and puts them up against one another to see what comes out on top. A convention used would be that the presenters get themselves involved in getting the products tested out and physically get involved with all the challenges, for example when Jason will put the costume on or when  female host tries the gadget bag. This would impact the audience as it would show them that it has actually been tested and that they can trust the people that have tested it as this show has been around for a while. Another convention would be that every episode they try out new products so it keeps the how more interesting to the eye and for people to want to watch it as they are less likely to want to watch it if they know it will be the same as the last one which would be boring so it keeps the attention on them and the new gadgets.

Chat Show

A chat show is a studio based show in which people appear to discuss their everyday issues with the host, the host of the shot is usually very judgmental and often designed to create then settle conflict

Examples would be:

Jeremy Kyle

On the Jeremy Kyle show you see ordinary people tell Jeremy their problems and why they are on the show, which he then calls out the problematic person which then usually leads to some sort of a fight with security rushing on stage.

Jerry Springer

Similarly on the Jerry Springer show people go on the show to discuss their problems and hopefully have them resolved but things usually get out of control and a fight breaks out between them.

Maury

On Maury we see families come on the show to try and fox problems between the family or between them and a loved one but this does not always end well as the people tend to argue before they settle their issues. One convention used would be the use of interviews as the presenter is trying to understand the problem, for example the problem would be that her child smokes, drinks and steals and is only 9, though when the mother cries she would make the audience feel sympathies for her and truly wants all the help she can get to fix her children's problems. Another convention would be that the camera movement is faced paced as it is trying to gather the reactions from the audience as well as the people sitting on the stage as it helps the audience decide how they should feel about the situation if everybody in the studio audience has reacted in a certain way.

Magazine shows

A magazine show often brings together a series of short factual features, in a studio setting. The show we often have an expert who is the gust of the show and while most likely to have studio performances mixed with live links and VT packages. A magazine show is often made up of a review show and a chat show.

Examples would be:

Daybreak

On Daybreak we see a mixture of different aspects of the show, as they have the news update, weather update sometimes a sports update and they is a section for showbiz, though for most of the show they talk about what is happening in the news.

This Morning

This morning also has a mixture of different aspects as they begin with the news and interview guests who have been affected by the recent news, they also add in the competition repeatedly throughout the show, then their is the TV Showbiz section of the night where there talk about all the soaps and have the latest spoilers. This is the carried on by a cooking segment and fashion segment.

Sunday Brunch

The Sunday Brunch is a show that starts at 9:30 on a Sunday and finishes after lunch, the show consists of interviews and a whole group of guests who are there to help cook or perform on the show. One convention used would be interviews as this is a reoccurring factor in the show as they interview all the guests on the show for example at 5:30 the boys from McFly are being interviewed. This would impact the audience as it allows them to hear from their favorite celebrities about what they are working on and anything that will be realised which means that the audience can feel as though they are part of the conversation because they are getting direct facts. A another convention would be the use of presenters as they are they ones who keep the show going, for instance without them the audience wouldn't know what was happening next on the show so this impacts them as they are vital to helping the show run smootly.